2017 Ford Escape WHEELS
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while receiving regular maintenance, the mechanic informed the contact that the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that after researching the issue, the contact became aware that the lug nut chrome caps would swell after a while, making the lug nuts difficult to remove with the standard equipment. The vehicle was taken to another mechanic, who was unable to remove the lug nuts due to the swelling. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while taking the vehicle in for a routine tire rotation, the dealer informed the contact that the lug nuts were swollen, and the tires could not be rotated. The contact's wife purchased a tool to remove the lug nuts and purchased replacement lug nuts. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, who was unable to use the tool to remove the lug nuts. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, AutoNation Ford Gulf Freeway (12227 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX 77034), who was also unable to use the equipment to remove the lug nuts to replace them lug nuts with ones purchased by the contact. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 74,800. The VIN was not available.
I have a 2017 Ford Escape and just had it in the Ford dealer for inspection and was informed that all of my lug nuts are swollen a;nd stripped and need replacement. I checked online and found that this is a recurrent issue with Ford vehicles where the lug nuts can swell due to a two-piece design with a steel core and decorative outer shell, often made of aluminum or chrome. The outer shell can corrode, swell, and delaminate making it difficult or impossible to remove the lug nut with a standard lug wrench. This is a common issue among Ford models and can lead to drivers being stranded with flat tires. There was a Class Action suit started in 2017 that was subsequently dismissed. I feel that this is negligent on Ford's behalf as it is a known design fault and safety issue and they should be issuing a recall to replace these lug nuts at no cost. I agreed to have Ford replace the lug nuts as I was concerned for my safety, should I need to get the lug nuts off. The cost was $267.95 plus 6% tax = $284.03. I was also informed that the replacement lug nuts are the same design and are only guaranteed for 2 years. I fail to understand why this safety issue doesn't warrant a recall to be issued and I should be reimbursed for my replacement.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon inspection at a local Tire Shop, the contact was informed that the lug nuts on all four wheels were cracked. The contact had 14 lug nuts replaced out-of-pocket; however, there were 6 lug nuts that still needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The lug nuts were OEM parts. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,135.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for a tire rotation, the dealer informed the contact that the lug nuts were defective and needed to be replaced to perform the tire rotation. The lug nuts were replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall related to the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 41,596.
The lug nuts were swollen
Rear differential failing causing the back tires to go at different speed than the front. Causes steering issues. Part is limited in availability per dealership as so many ford cars are having the issue.
Wheel lug nuts have swollen and are distorted. Have been told by ford dealer to replace them. Car has 41,000 miles. Ford is responsible and needs to replace.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to change a flat tire, he became aware that the lug nuts became deformed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the lug nuts, informing the contact that the lug nuts were over torqued, resulting in damages to the lug nuts. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000. The VIN was not available.
The lug nuts are swollen/distorted and some cannot be removed with the factory-provided lug wrench. They are supposed to be 19mm, but a 19mm socket does not fit over most of my lug nuts and strips them. Other size sockets do not fit either. Three are damaged. I had to buy a set of extraction sockets to remove them and a full set of aftermarket lug nuts to replace all of the Ford nuts
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to rotate the tires, it was discovered that the lug nuts on all four wheels were swollen and damaged. The contact indicated that the lug nuts were unable to be removed. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was not available.
I took my Escape to the Dealership for routine oil change and tire rotation. (almost 43000 miles). I received a call from Dealership that I had "swollen lug nuts" and to rotate my tires these needed to be changed. I had never heard of such a thing. My Significant Other had not either and he spoke to the Dealership Representative who said that this was true and that in order to rotate tires the lug nuts required changing. The Representative said they had them in stock and the cost would be around $180.00. We decided to investigate further and deferred the change at that time. After discussing with another repair shop and reading about other issues with Ford vehicle, dodge, and a few Toyota we ascertained this was an issue. I took my Escape to the other Repair shop and had the lug nuts changed for $110.00. It appears to me that this has been an issue previously and class action suit was filed and dismissed. This appears to be a problem that can lead to bigger problems if not corrected. ie swollen lug nut car has flat tire, tire cannot be changed due to special equipment required to change flat, all resulting in car being towed to appropriate dealership for change out of lug nuts. I bought a Ford product promoted as being a Quality product. How can this be if the lug nuts do not withstand 43000 miles and the vehicle being in a garage at all times when not in use, then develops this problem. I see potential for major safety issues if this is not corrected by potential injury to the driver of a vehicle with this issue and to the vehicle if a flat should occur and unable to change flat tire. Please review and advise . Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
the lug nuts are being striped when changing for tire rotation or a flat or new tiers
Lug nut has a two piece design a nut with a chrome cover that swells making it impossible to remove the lugs with the tool provided by the manufacturer. The safety issue is it leaves people stranded without any tool to replace a tire in the event of a flat.
During scheduled oil change service on 8/8/2023, informed that wheel lug nuts were swollen and tire rotation was not completed. Replacement lugnuts were not in stock. Returned on 8/17/2023 and had all wheel lugnuts replaced.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while having a routine brake check, the mechanic was not able to remove the lug nuts on all four wheels. The dealer stated was aware of the failure but stated there was no recall for the failure. The dealer recommended the replacement of the lug nuts. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 26,000.
Wheel lug nuts stretching and become stripped. Lug nuts installed by a Ford Qualified service technician only.
lug nuts are striped and wont spin off.
Took vehicle to service to ford dealership to include tire rotation. Was told technician had difficult time removing lug nuts as the were swollen and frozen. Service Manager informed me they would need to be replaced as in emergency on road may not be able to be removed. Was told by service manager this is an ongoing issue. Have researched this and this appears to be an ongoing issue as per numerous web sites and has resulted in several law suits.
I had a flat tire with my Ford Escape. The lug nut wrench Ford included with the vehicle would not fit the lug nuts. I understand there is a problem with the lug nuts swelling due to an extremely poor design. I can change a tire but because of the swelled lug nuts I had to hire a towing company. So these poorly designed lug nuts cost me several hundred dollars. They also pose a safety issue. Luckily I was in a safe location when this happened. But my wife and I often drive in isolated locations with little or no lighting. We could be in a dangerous situation if I can’t change a flat tire due to swelled lug nuts. I can pay to install new lug nuts, but that is also a financial burden that I and all Ford owners should not have to bear. I understand a lawsuit against Ford regarding these lug nuts was thrown out. Sounds like another case of big industry getting preferential treatment over the safety of citizens.
When I took my car for it's most recent service I was told a tire rotation could not be performed because my car had "swollen" lug nuts. The service technician explained this is a common problem for many Ford models over several model years. The original lug nuts Ford put on these vehicles become misshapen over time making it difficult to remove and replace the lug nuts therefore making it impossible to perform tire maintenance without additional labor and total replacement of original lug nuts.
Lug nuts swelled and we could not loosen them to remove the tire.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for routine maintenance, the contact was informed that the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer declined to cover the cost of repairs due to wear and tear. The failure mileage was 44,346.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was at the dealer for routine maintenance, the dealer determined that 20 lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. The lug nuts were replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,299.
Lug Nut issues. If I were to have a flat tire on the highway, it would not be able to replaced by the spare because the lug nuts have swollen. I have replaced the lug nuts to the cost of $263.00 from the dealer. No warnings except the last 2 times at the dealership, they did not rotate the tires because of the swollen lug nuts. Now, I need new tires (with on 22,000 miles on them) because of it. I have owned 7 different Ford Vehicles, and NEVER have I had to replace lug nuts! I am retired and don't drive long distances.
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Quick Summary
The 2017 Ford Escape has 65 WHEELS complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.